Hair loss is associated with a variety of psychological and social implications. Prior to starting any treatment it is advantageous to predict the course, severity, and treatment options of the disease. In the field of hair loss, very little scientific diagnostic tests are currently available, and there are few methods to predict treatment response.
Moreover, the hair loss industry is littered with dozens of products that claim to grow, improve, and replace hair. Unfortunately, few treatments have been scientifically demonstrated to work, and the few treatments that have undergone clinical trials often do not work equally for all patients.
Androgenetic alopecia has been successfully treated in men by the U.S. Food &
Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved medications minoxidil (marketed as Rogaine™ or Regame™). Minoxidil has also been approved by the FDA for treatment of female hair loss; however, for most women minoxidil is only marginally successful at retaining existing hair. Some men for whom minoxidil is less effective have been successfully treated with finasteride; however, the same cannot be said of females for whom minoxidil is ineffective. Studies have thus far failed to show the effectiveness of finasteride in the treatment of female androgenetic alopecia.
There are significant differences between male androgenetic alopecia and female androgenetic alopecia. Apart from the different baldness patterns, male and female alopecia follow a different mechanism. In men, alopecia is related to the normal high androgen levels in males, combined with an underlying sensitivity of the hair roots to androgens. Women, however, have roughly 10 times lower androgen levels than men, and the absolute amount of androgen is a less significant factor than the increased sensitivity of the hair roots to androgens.
Among various individuals, whether male or female, there is a broad variability in the response of different people to various hair loss treatments. This variability is presumed to be a result of genetic factors contributing to variable enzyme activity in the follicles, making a one-size-fits-all approach difficult to achieve. It would therefore be advantageous to be able to have an effective diagnostic and treatment method where patients could be selected and treated on the basis of criteria such as enzyme activity, which would identify some people as being likely to benefit from treatment by minoxidil and other drugs, while identifying other individuals in which treatment is not likely to be effective.